Transcription

1 7. Students with Disabilities in Elementary and Middle School: Progress among Challenges By Jose Blackorby and Mary Wagner This report addresses the question of how students with disabilities are doing in their elementary and middle school years. That time is a period of rapid development for students, encompassing the beginning of the process of formal education to preparing for the demands of high school and adolescence. In important ways, these years provide the formative experiences and the skills that will contribute to students success later. It is also during this time when intervention to address problems is believed to have the greatest likelihood of success in mitigating the extent and effects of problems. This chapter summarizes how young students with disabilities are doing across a range of outcomes, including school engagement, academic performance, social adjustment, and emerging independence. Important differences in these outcomes for students who differ in their primary disability classification are noted. A look across outcome domains then identifies aspects of individual students, their households, and their school programs and experiences that relate to the outcomes they achieve. Finally, implications are drawn for the policies, practices, and programs that affect the lives of students with disabilities in their elementary and middle school years. Students Outcomes Making Progress or Falling Behind? The question of whether elementary and middle school-age students with disabilities are making progress or falling behind is difficult to answer with a single statement. There are indications of both real achievement and causes for concern across the outcome domains of school engagement, academic performance, social adjustment, and emerging independence. A look at the lives of students with disabilities at school reveals that most students with disabilities like school, and at least half describe themselves as highly motivated and are rated by their teachers to be highly engaged in their education. Further, according to parents, many students are doing well in school, as measured by teacher-given grades. Almost one-third are reported to receive mostly As and Bs, and only 4% reportedly receive mostly Ds or Fs. At the same time, standardized test scores of student skills in reading and in mathematics illustrate considerable diversity in student performance; some students receive scores comparable to their general education peers, but scores below the 25th percentile are common for many more students with disabilities. Similarly, teacher reports of reading and mathematics abilities for students with disabilities show them often to be more than 1 to 2 years behind grade level, on average, in both their reading and mathematics abilities. These skill deficits in SEELS Page 7-1

2 core academic subjects do not bode well, given that students will encounter increasingly difficult content as they move on to secondary school and beyond. In the social domain, students with disabilities also are considered to be fairly skilled, according to parents; more than 80% are rated in the medium or high range on a scale of overall social skills. Almost two-thirds of students with disabilities belong to organized groups at school or in the community, and a similar percentage see friends in informal get-togethers at least weekly. Overall, almost 20% of students have neither of these forms of social engagement outside of class. More than a third of students with disabilities were subject to disciplinary actions at school in the school year even though parents report that 90% of them get along with other students and 50% have teachers who report they follow directions in class. Students with disabilities show signs of emerging independence in their personal behaviors at home and in the community. They are beginning to demonstrate important self-determination skills; parents report that more than one-third persist in completing tasks very often. The vast majority of students with disabilities are able to manage their personal care needs, and parents report about half are able to do common cognitive processing tasks, such as counting change and telling time, very well. Nonetheless, these activities remain challenging to some degree for about half of students with disabilities. In summing up, what can be concluded from this diversity of experience? The answer depends in part on the yardstick against which the outcomes of students with disabilities are measured. The experiences of students in the general population are one standard against which to assess those with disabilities, and they are used throughout this report when comparable data exist for the two groups. However, using this standard does not provide an unequivocal answer to whether students with disabilities are doing well or poorly. With respect to academics, as a group, students with disabilities standardized test scores place most of them in the lowest quartile in comparison with the norm group. Although certainly low, these scores illustrate in part the implications of disability in academic tasks and the need for specialized education. However, students in different disability categories compare with general education peers quite differently. Students with visual or speech impairments have test score patterns that resemble those of the general population, particularly in mathematics. On the other hand, students with mental retardation, autism, or multiple disabilities have test scores that overwhelmingly cluster at the low end of the range. In the social domain, although most students with disabilities have relatively good social skills, they still rank lower than students in the general population on many of the measures, which is a cause for concern. Although their relative skills deficit does not appear to relate to lower levels of organized group memberships, it raises the question of whether the negative implications of poor social skills will accumulate as students with disabilities age. Page 7-2 SEELS

3 From this summary of the outcomes of students with disabilities, it is clear that their achievements are exemplified by diversity across domains and across students. What Makes a Difference? As depicted by a variety of measures across multiple outcome domains, students with disabilities experience the full range of possible experiences from high achievement to significant struggles. What accounts for those variations in experience? What factors help explain why some students with disabilities do well and why others are not succeeding in meeting the challenges they face? Multivariate analyses suggest that characteristics of students themselves, as well as of their households and their school programs and experiences, all come into play in explaining the diversity of experiences of students with disabilities. Disability and Functioning Disability characteristics. SEELS analyses show that both the nature of a student s primary disability and the functional limitations it imposes independently influence the outcomes he or she experiences. Yet different disabilities have different impacts across the outcome domains. For example, students whose functional abilities are similar have the following kinds of differences in outcomes associated with the nature of their disability: Relative to students with learning disabilities, those with visual impairments experience more positive outcomes at school, with higher locus of control and standardized test scores in reading and mathematics, but more negative social outcomes in terms of having friends and belonging to groups, apart from other differences between students. Like students with visual impairments, those with orthopedic impairments generally succeed better at school, relative to those with learning disabilities, but they have less social involvement with extracurricular groups and friends. Students with emotional disturbances tend to have higher test scores but lower grades than students with learning disabilities, other factors held constant, and they are equally likely to have active friendships and group memberships. However, they are much more likely to experience negative consequences for behavior at school in terms of disciplinary actions. Students with mental retardation have similar outcomes to those with learning disabilities across most domains, independent of differences captured in the functional skills measures discussed below. An exception is that the cognitive nature of the disability is reflected in their reading and mathematics skills, which are significantly farther behind grade level than students with learning disabilities. However, there are no significant differences in grades related to having mental retardation vs. a learning disability, independent of other differences in functioning among students or their placements in general education settings. SEELS Page 7-3

4 SEELS also has investigated the independent relationships between outcomes and having attention deficit or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD). Apart from other differences among students in their disability, functioning, or other characteristics, having ADD/ADHD is associated with several negative school-related outcomes, including poorer classroom engagement behaviors in special education settings, poorer grades, and more disciplinary actions. However, ADD/ADHD is not associated with lower academic performance; students whose parents report that have that disorder are no more or less behind in reading or mathematics than students who do not. In fact, having ADD/ADHD is positively associated with some social outcomes; students with ADD/ADHD are more active than others in extracurricular groups. Two other characteristics of disability have also been considered in SEELS multivariate analyses. The number of areas in which students experience functional limitations and the age when their disabilities first were diagnosed were considered proxies for the breadth or severity of students disabilities, and were expected to show similar relationships with poorer outcomes. The breadth of disability, in terms of the number of areas (e.g., use of appendages, hearing, vision, communication) in which students have functional limitations is related to five outcomes and age of identification relates to three indicators. For example, dealing with the consequences of disability from an early age is related to higher classroom engagement in general education, higher motivation for schooling, and higher grades, but lower test scores in reading. Similarly, having functional limitations in more areas is associated with higher motivation for schooling and a lower likelihood of disciplinary actions, but also with seeing friends less frequently. These differences underscore the complex relationships between disability and achievements. Functioning. As was the case with indicators of the breadth or severity of disability, various measures of students functional abilities could be expected to relate in similar ways to outcomes, with higher skills being consistently associated with better outcomes. However, as was the case above, SEELS analyses show that different kinds of skills relate differently across the outcome domains in terms both of intensity and of relationship direction. For example: Higher functional cognitive skills are, surprisingly, not related to better school engagement. It is, however, strongly associated with higher academic achievement in both reading and mathematics, as expected. The amount of increased academic performance associated with higher cognitive skills is conditioned by student self-care skills. The difference between high and low cognitive skills among students with high self-care skills is large (about 17 points). However, the difference is three times that size among students with low self-care skills. This pattern exists in the domain of locus of control as well. Finally, higher functional cognitive skills also relate to a higher likelihood of group membership and active friendships. Although disabilities that limit students in managing basic self-care needs might be assumed to have fairly pervasive and negative affects on outcomes, Page 7-4 SEELS

5 SEELS analyses only partially support that conclusion. Relatively poorer self-care skills are associated with higher absenteeism, independent of other differences among students. However, in the case of academics, the difference between having high and low self-care skills is conditioned by students cognitive skills. For students with high cognitive skills, having higher self-care skills is actually negative and fairly large. In contrast, among students with low cognitive skills, increased self-care skills are positively associated with academic performance. Being more socially skilled would be expected to relate to better social adjustment outcomes, and it does in some respects. Students with higher social skills ratings by parents are significantly more likely to belong to groups and see friends regularly and are less likely to be subject to disciplinary actions, other factors held constant. Students with higher social skills also are absent more and have lower test scores in reading, but they have higher grades, reinforcing the notion that grades reflect more than academic ability. The ability to persist with tasks to completion has beneficial effects for students in school. Those rated as more persistent by parents also exhibit more engagement in classroom activities and receive better grades than less persistent peers, other things being equal. This self-determination skill does not relate to academic abilities in reading and mathematics, apart from other differences among students. Students general health. This aspect of functioning is included in analyses of absenteeism and demonstrates one of the strongest relationships to that indicator of engagement of any factor. The strong relationship between health and absenteeism underscores the fact that absenteeism from school can be both voluntary and involuntary. Taken together, these aspects of students disability and functioning explain much of the variance in the outcomes assessed, although that is more the case for some outcome domains (e.g., independence) than others (e.g., academic performance). Yet characteristics of students apart from their disabilities also contribute to an understanding of variations in their outcomes, as noted below. Individual Demographic Characteristics Several of the demographic characteristics that are typically examined in studying student outcomes in the general population, such as age, gender, and race/ethnicity, are intertwined with issues of disability (Wagner, Marder, Blackorby & Cardoso, 2002). For example, students with speech impairments tend to be younger and students with emotional disturbances older than those in most other disability categories. Boys make up much larger proportions of students with emotional disturbances or autism than those with other disabilities. African-Americans are disproportionately represented among students with mental retardation or emotional disturbances. For these reasons, simple bivariate descriptions of outcomes for students with disabilities who differ in age, gender, SEELS Page 7-5

6 or race-ethnicity cannot be interpreted in a straightforward way. It is never clear whether it is age, gender, race/ethnicity, disability, or a combination of these attributes that contributes to differences in the outcomes observed. Multivariate analyses permit a disentangling of these factors by identifying their independent relationships with outcomes, holding constant disability and other factors in the analyses. Age. Even when students with disabilities are in the comparatively young 6- to-13-year-old 1 age range, relative differences in age relate to some aspects of their outcomes, but in different ways and possibly for different reasons. For example, older students with disabilities exhibit a pattern of results indicating greater difficulty in several domains. Older students are less motivated and are more likely to receive disciplinary actions than younger peers. Analyses also reveal that older students tend to be further behind in their reading and mathematics abilities and have lower test scores, which may suggest that the skills of students with disabilities do not develop at the same rate as those of students in the general population, so that, with the passage of time, they fall farther behind. In the social domain, older students are more likely to belong to groups, but are less likely to spend time with friends regularly. Gender. SEELS analyses illustrate a number of differences in several outcome domains between boys and girls. Boys experience greater challenges in engagement and social adjustment at school, whereas girls have more difficulty in mathematics. Independent of other differences, boys with disabilities are more frequently absent and subject to disciplinary actions and have poorer classroom engagement behaviors in special education. On the other hand, boys also are more motivated for school than girls and more likely to see friends frequently. Girls are both further from grade level in mathematics and have lower test scores in mathematics calculation than boys. Race/ethnicity. Not only is race/ethnicity intertwined with disability in that students of different racial/ethnic backgrounds are differentially represented across disability categories, it also is inextricably linked with household income. For example, the likelihood of students with disabilities living in poverty is almost three times as high for students with disabilities who are African- American (51%) or Hispanic (41%) than white (14%; Wagner, Marder, & Cardoso, 2002). In addition, both students of color with disabilities and those from lower-income households experience other conditions often associated with poor outcomes, such as single-parent families and low parent education. However, multivariate analyses that include both race/ethnicity and household income indicate that race/ethnicity is independently related to a relatively small number of student outcomes, irrespective of disability, income, and other differences between students. Compared with white students with disabilities, both African-American and Hispanic students have higher scores for motivation for schooling. However, the outcome patterns of these two groups diverge in 1 Students were ages 6 through 13 when Wave 1 parent interview data were collected and 7 through 14 when Wave 1 school questionnaires were distributed. Page 7-6 SEELS

7 other areas. Relative to white students with disabilities, African-Americans are further from grade level in mathematics and are more likely to be subject to disciplinary actions at school than white students with disabilities. In contrast, Hispanic students with disabilities tend to be less likely to participate in organized group activities than white students, independent of income and other differences between them. These different patterns of experiences for African- American and Hispanic students with disabilities caution against considering minority students or students of color as a single group in assessing their outcomes relative to white students. Primary language. Independent of racial/ethnic differences among students with disabilities, using a language other than English at home does not appear to relate to students outcomes, with one exception: relative to those who primarily use English at home and irrespective of other differences between them, students with disabilities who primarily use a language other than English at home are less likely to belong to a group. Household Characteristics The household context in which students with disabilities live can be expected to help shape their experiences across outcome domains. SEELS analyses included three aspects of students household environments in analyses of outcomes: household income, levels of family support for education at home and at school, and parents expectations for the futures of their adolescent children with disabilities. Household income. As mentioned above, students with disabilities are more likely to live in low-income households than students in the general population. In addition, SEELS analyses show a pattern of less positive outcomes for low-income students, holding constant other factors. These findings may help explain some of the difference in some outcomes between students with disabilities and those in the general population, apart from differences related to disability. Regarding school engagement, students with disabilities from lower-income households are more likely to be absent from school and are less likely to demonstrate behaviors that indicate engagement in general education and to have a high locus of control scores. Their academic performance is poorer as well; they have lower standardized test scores in reading, are farther behind grade level in reading and mathematics, and are more likely to receive poor grades. In the domain of social engagement, students from lower-income households are less likely to take part in organized group activities and are more likely to be subject to disciplinary actions at school. Family support for education. Families of students with disabilities differ widely in the level of support they provide for the education of their children both at home and at school, although there is some evidence that their support exceeds that of families of students in the general population. For example, only 2% of parents of elementary and middle-school students in the general population reported helping with homework five or more times a week (National SEELS Page 7-7

8 Center for Education Statistics, 1998), compared with 20% of parents of students with disabilities. Students with disabilities whose families are more involved in their schools, as demonstrated by such activities as attending school meetings or classroom events or volunteering at school, benefit from that support, or from other activities associated with it, in several ways. Those students have better grades than students with less family involvement at school. They also tend to be actively involved in organized groups (many of which are at school) and have active individual friendships. In contrast, family support for education at home (i.e., talking regularly about school and helping with homework, providing a computer for school work) is not related to many outcomes, controlling for other differences among students. The exception is that greater family support for education at home is actually negatively associated with grades, possibly because parents are more likely to provide homework help when students are doing poorly in school. Nevertheless, these findings reinforce the importance of parents activities in support of their children in multiple domains. Family expectations for the future. It is clear that the expectations parents hold for the future for their children with disabilities in part reflect parents experience with and perceptions of the ways those disabilities limit activities and accomplishments. However, SEELS findings suggest that irrespective of the nature of students disabilities and their levels of functioning, family expectations for the future also help shape the achievements of students with disabilities. Other things being equal, students with disabilities whose parents expect that they are more likely to go on to postsecondary education after high school have higher grades, as well as higher test scores in reading than students whose parents do not share that optimism for the future. They are closer to grade level in their reading and mathematics abilities than students who are not expected to further their educations after high school. Students with disabilities whose parents hold high expectations for educational achievement also are more likely to affiliate with organized groups, many of which may be sponsored by or meet at school. School Programs Although individual and household factors contribute to shape outcomes for students with disabilities, schools do make a difference for students, particularly in the realm in which they are active partners school engagement and academic performance. Course taking, curricula, instruction, services, accommodations, supports, and other experiences of students with schooling all figure into their engagement and performance. In fact, SEELS multivariate analyses have explained the most variance in the most direct measure of student learning analyzed in SEELS test scores from Woodcock-Johnson III (WJIII) explaining about 25% of the variation in both reading and mathematics performance. What schools do can matter for students with disabilities. Enrollment in general education courses. Overall, students with disabilities who spend more of their time in general education classes differ in Page 7-8 SEELS

9 many aspects of their disabilities from students whose course taking emphasizes those in special education settings. Therefore, to identify the associations of general education course enrollment on outcomes, differences in the disability and functioning of students in different settings must be held constant. SEELS multivariate analyses provide those statistical controls. Controlling for differences in disability, functioning, demographic, and household factors discussed thus far, greater participation in general education classrooms relates independently to the engagement, achievement, and social adjustment of students with disabilities at school. Students with disabilities who spend more time in general education classes tend to be absent fewer days from school, are closer to grade level in their reading and mathematics abilities, and have higher test scores in those areas than students who spend less time in general education courses, irrespective of other differences between the two groups. Outside of class, students appear to accrue benefits in terms of a higher likelihood of taking part in extracurricular group activities at school or in the community. Class size. SEELS findings offer mixed support for the notion that smaller classes facilitate student learning. Students with disabilities in larger classes have lower grades but tend to be closer to grade level in their reading and mathematics abilities than students who are in smaller classes, irrespective of other differences in their school programs or disability, functioning, demographic, or household characteristics. On the other hand, in special education language arts settings, students in larger classes have lower engagement scores. Other services, accommodations, and supports. Results of SEELS multivariate analyses illustrate the difficulty of identifying benefits that may accrue from receiving services, accommodations, or supports while students are receiving them. Students with disabilities are provided services (e.g., tutors, mental health services), accommodations (e.g., more time to take tests, use of a reader or interpreter), or supports (e.g., a behavior management plan, books on tape) because they are deemed unable to perform up to their potential without them. Their limitations can be exhibited as negative outcomes, such as poor behavior or poor grades at school. Thus, when receipt of services, accommodations, or supports is measured at the same time as the outcomes on which students perform poorly enough to qualify for them, a negative relationship between interventions and outcomes can occur. These negative relationships are found in SEELS analyses of the relationships of a variety of academic and social supports. For example, receiving a greater number of instructional or testing modifications is related to having poorer classroom engagement behaviors in general education, having lower locus of control scores, and being farther behind grade level in both reading and mathematics, as well as having lower test scores. On the other hand, receiving a variety of social adjustment supports is related to lower classroom engagement ratings in both general and special education and a higher likelihood of being subject to SEELS Page 7-9

10 disciplinary actions, but also to being closer to grade level in reading and mathematics. Receiving help from a tutor is unrelated to grades or reading or mathematics performance, compared with students with disabilities who do not receive tutoring support. This suggests that tutors are helping students with disabilities keep up with peers who do not receive (and presumably do not need) tutoring. Similarly, receiving an array of communication or presentation accommodations is not associated with academic achievement. Thus, SEELS has had mixed success in overcoming the limits of analyses of intervention effectiveness that are conducted at a single point in time. Subsequent waves of SEELS data will permit the longitudinal analysis that is more appropriate to the question of intervention effectiveness. Curriculum modification. Like some other accommodations, modifications made to the content or presentation format of curricula represent another mechanism to individualize instructional materials for students with disabilities. These changes relate to student outcomes in the same way as other accommodations. The need for and receipt of greater modification are associated with being less engaged in special education classes and further from grade level in reading, and having lower test scores. Instructional grouping and classroom activities. In addition to curriculum and supports, the organization and specific types of classroom activities play direct roles in students day-to-day experiences and relate to several outcome domains. The frequent application of both whole-class and small-group instruction is associated with improved classroom engagement scores in special education and higher motivation for schooling. On the other hand, students who receive frequent individual instruction from a teacher have lower classroom engagement in general education settings and lower test scores in reading than peers who receive less individual attention. Frequent participation in activities related to literature (e.g., reading literature, writing) is associated with higher classroom engagement in both general and special education language arts classes. It also is associated with better performance in mathematics and reading in terms of performing closer to grade level and earning higher scores on WJIII. Participation in general class activities (e.g., class discussions) also is related to positive outcomes in these areas, with the exception of mathematics calculation scores. Students whose programs frequently focus on developing phonetic or vocabulary skills have improved engagement in both general and special education classes but do not differ in academic measures from students whose programs emphasize these skills less, other differences between them held constant. Page 7-10 SEELS

11 School-Related Experiences SEELS analyses demonstrate that school experiences beyond courses, programs, and services affect students outcomes both in and out of school. Absenteeism. Missing school can exact a high price. When poor school engagement is reflected in high absenteeism from school, that absenteeism itself contributes to teachers perceptions of poor classroom behaviors in general education classroom settings. Students who miss a good deal of school receive poorer grades than students whose attendance is better. Higher absenteeism is not, however, associated with lower test scores. School mobility. Moving from one school to another frequently also contributes to a cluster of school outcomes that do not bode well for students success. Other factors held constant, students with disabilities who have changed schools often, other than for grade promotion, exhibit lower classroom engagement in general education and lower motivation for schooling than students whose school affiliations have been more stable. Although SEELS analyses show no direct independent relationship between high school mobility and indicators of academic performance, mobility is associated with a higher likelihood of being subject to disciplinary actions at school. Grades and grade retention. SEELS analyses contribute to the debate over the value of having poorly performing students repeat grades, with findings that students with disabilities who have been held back one or more grades in their school careers are not less engaged in their school activities than other students; their absenteeism is not significantly higher, nor do teachers assess their classroom engagement behaviors differently from other students, independent of other factors in the analyses. Neither are there independent effects of being retained on students social adjustment. However, students who have been held back because of poor academic performance in the past continue to receive lower grades and have lower locus of control scores, but are closer to grade level in reading and mathematics, other factors held constant. The effects of lower grades are felt in other domains as well. Controlling for other factors, students who receive lower grades have lower classroom engagement scores across settings and also are subject to more frequent disciplinary actions. Clusters of Factors that Make a Difference This summary of the results of multivariate analyses of outcomes of students with disabilities has identified the independent effects of many aspects of the students, their households, and their school programs and experiences, holding constant other factors. However, in real life, many of the factors discussed here are not independent; they cluster together for many students, resulting in additive effects that distinguish students to a greater extent than is revealed by looking at factors independently. For example, we know that a student with emotional disturbance is more likely than students in many other categories to be male, African-American, and from a lower income household. This student also is likely to spend much of the school day in general education classes and receive a SEELS Page 7-11

12 variety of social adjustment supports. In contrast, a student with visual impairment is more likely to be female, white, and affluent. Like the student with emotional disturbance, this student with visual impairment also spends a high percentage of the school day in general education classes; both receive accommodations and supports appropriate to their disability. These combinations of differences between these two hypothetical students add up to a dramatically different picture across outcome domains. Compared with other students with disabilities, both of these students would be doing comparatively well academically. They would both be less than a year behind grade level in reading and in mathematics. The girl with visual impairment, however, would have higher tests scores by 10 and 4 standard score points in reading and mathematics, respectively. In the social adjustment domain, the pattern of results would differ dramatically. For example, the probability of the boy with an emotional disturbance being subject to disciplinary actions at school would be 53 percentage points greater than for the girl with a visual impairment. The boy with the emotional disturbance would be 14 percentage points more likely to see friends regularly but 7 percentage points less likely to belong to a group. These differences reinforce the importance of considering the entirety of students characteristics, background, and experiences in considering the relationships, instructions, services, and supports that will best help them succeed. Opportunities and Challenges This report provides the most thorough examination to date of the achievements of students with disabilities during their elementary and middle school years across the outcome domains of school engagement, academic performance, social adjustment, and independence. It shows diversity both within and across those domains. In some areas, such as social development and engagement in school, many students with disabilities are making progress. In others, such as academics, there is room and need for improvement. Much work remains to be done. However, the analyses of school experience factors associated with more positive outcomes highlight the myriad ways in which those factors can combine to help shape the achievements of students with disabilities and underscore the importance of maintaining individualized school programs and services as the central tenet in the education of all students. Page 7-12 SEELS

December 2003 GOING TO SCHOOL: INSTRUCTIONAL CONTEXTS, PROGRAMS, AND PARTICIPATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES A Report from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) EXECUTIVE

April 2005 AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: A FIRST LOOK AT THE POSTSCHOOL EXPERIENCES OF YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES A Report from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) Executive Summary Prepared for: Office

5. EMPLOYMENT OF YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES AFTER HIGH SCHOOL By Renée Cameto Employment is the norm in American society, and it often begins at an early age. Approximately half of 12- and 13-year-olds in

5. EMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES By Camille Marder, Denise Cardoso, and Mary Wagner Work always has been part of the lives of many youth in the United States (Kerschner, 2000). In recent years,

4. PARTICIPATION IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES By Tom W. Cadwallader, Mary Wagner, and Nicolle Garza The lives of many youth are substantially enriched by their participation in organized extracurricular

7. VOCATIONAL EDUCATION COURSES AND SERVICES By Renée Cameto and Mary Wagner Employment is an expectation for adults in American society. Indeed, youth begin to enter the workforce in early adolescence,

6. THE DAILY LIVING AND SOCIAL SKILLS OF YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES By Renée Cameto, Camille Marder, Tom W. Cadwallader, and Mary Wagner The preceding chapter described the manifestations of disability in

2. RELATED SERVICES AND SUPPORTS RECEIVED BY YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES As noted in Chapter 1, students with disabilities can receive a variety of related services or supports when they are deemed necessary

4. POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION PARTICIPATION OF YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES By Lynn Newman Ensuring that students with disabilities have access to and full participation in postsecondary education has been identified

FACTS from OSEP s National Longitudinal Studies June 005 The Self-Determination of Youth with Disabilities Societal treatment of persons with disabilities has evolved through many stages, most recently

June 2005 CHANGES OVER TIME IN THE EARLY POSTSCHOOL OUTCOMES OF YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES A Report of Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) and the National Longitudinal Transition

103 Transition from High School to Work or College: How Special Education Students Fare Mary M. Wagner Jose Blackorby Abstract Results are reported from the National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special

7. A National Picture of the Post-High School Experiences of Youth With Disabilities out of High School up to 4 Years NLTS2 provides a unique source of information to help in developing an understanding

2. Comparisons Across Time of the Postsecondary Education of Youth With Disabilities Over the past decades, enrollment in postsecondary education has become increasingly prevalent. For youth in the general

FACTS from OSEP s National Longitudinal Studies November 2004 A Profile of Students with ADHD Who Receive Special Education Services What Is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? Attention-deficit/hyperactivity

1. THE EARLY POST-HIGH-SCHOOL YEARS FOR YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES By Mary Wagner Leaving high school is an exciting threshold for many youth in this country, both those with and those without disabilities.

2. Postsecondary Education Over the past decades, enrollment in postsecondary education has become increasingly prevalent. Between 1960 and 2004, there was a 26-percentage-point increase in the college

3. HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES By Camille Marder, Phyllis Levine, Mary Wagner, and Denise Cardoso A child s household is his or her first educational setting. It is in the home

The MetLife Survey of Preparing Students for College and Careers Part 2: Teaching Diverse Learners The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Preparing Students for College and Careers The MetLife Survey

September 2005 DECLASSIFICATION STUDENTS WHO LEAVE SPECIAL EDUCATION A Special Topic Report from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study Prepared for: Dr. Lisa Holden-Pitt Office of Special

Individualized Education Plans Updated: Children with special needs living in high-poverty neighborhoods are less likely to receive special services through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Importance

Epilepsy in Children Learning and School Performance About the Epilepsy Foundation The Epilepsy Foundation is the national voluntary agency solely dedicated to the welfare of the more than three million

3. s by Mary Wagner, Camille Marder, and Michael Chorost Although this report focuses on the language arts classroom experiences of elementary and middle school students with disabilities, those experiences

Readiness Matters The Impact of College Readiness on College Persistence and Degree Completion Steve Kappler AVP Career & College Readiness ACT, Inc. steve.kappler@act.org NACAC Webinar Series February

Special Education Program Descriptions School-Based Program Delivery Model Resource Room Services Resource Room Services, available in all MCPS schools, provide students with disabilities with the support

The MetLife Survey of Challenges for School Leadership Challenges for School Leadership A Survey of Teachers and Principals Conducted for: MetLife, Inc. Survey Field Dates: Teachers: October 5 November

COLLEGE READINESS Benefits of a High School Curriculum Since the publication of A Nation at Risk, ACT has recommended that students take a core curriculum in high school in order to be prepared for college-level

Gifted & Talented Program Description The purpose of Cedar Unified School District s gifted and talented program is to nurture academic excellence and improve student achievement among all students. To

School Indicators for New York City Charter Schools 2013-2014 School Year July 2015 IBO New York City Independent Budget Office Ronnie Lowenstein, Director 110 William St., 14th floor New York, NY 10038

Sowmya Kumar Assistant Superintendent, Special Education skumar@houstonisd.org 713.556.7025 Minimize impact of disability and Maximize opportunities for children with disabilities to participate in education

School Counselor (501) NES, the NES logo, Pearson, the Pearson logo, and National Evaluation Series are trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries of Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). NES

Chicago Longitudinal Study: School Support Mediators June 2005 Project Director: Arthur Reynolds Olga Godes CLS School Support Variables Overview: The following report describes the school support variables

Florida s Plan to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators Introduction Florida s record on educational excellence and equity over the last fifteen years speaks for itself. In the 10 th Annual AP

Technical Report Overview The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Fourth Edition (CELF 4) is an individually administered test for determining if a student (ages 5 through 21 years) has a language

Special Education (601) NES, the NES logo, Pearson, the Pearson logo, and National Evaluation Series are trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries of Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). NES

Educational Achievement of Inmates in the Windham School District Criminal Justice Policy Council April 2000 Tony Fabelo, Ph.D. Executive Director Educational Achievement of Inmates in the Windham School

Examining the Efficacy of Retention Practices Peggy Randall Director of General Education Janet Richards Director of Special Student Services Huron Intermediate School District February 22, 2008 Why We

The Kentucky Department of Education s mission is to prepare all Kentucky students for nextgeneration learning, work and citizenship by engaging schools, districts, families and communities through excellent

NEW YORK STATE TEACHER CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS TEST DESIGN AND FRAMEWORK September 2014 Authorized for Distribution by the New York State Education Department This test design and framework document

The Kentucky Department of Education s mission is to prepare all Kentucky students for nextgeneration learning, work and citizenship by engaging schools, districts, families and communities through excellent

St Mary s College Crosby Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy (P46) Date of Policy September 2014 Date of Review September 2015 Introduction The College is committed to giving all pupils the

The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2013 National 2013 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. The ACT college readiness assessment is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc., in the U.S.A. and other countries.

Issue Brief May 2006 WORKING THEIR WAY THROUGH COLLEGE: STUDENT EMPLOYMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE During the 2003 04 academic year, 78 percent of undergraduates worked while they were

1 Annual Public Notice of Special Education Services and Programs for Students with Disabilities Mastery Charter School publishes the following Annual Notice in the school s Parent-Student Handbook and

Guide to Planning and Assessing School-based Special Education Services GUIDE TO PLANNING AND ASSESSING SCHOOL-BASED SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES 1 T his guide is designed to help school improvement teams

Child care arrangements, personal, family and school influences on children s adjustment to the first year of schooling Executive Summary Dr Kay Margetts Department of Learning and Educational Development

Frequently Asked Questions about Making Specific Learning Disability (SLD) Eligibility Decisions This document is part of the department s guidance on implementing Wisconsin SLD criteria. It provides answers

Student Services Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Adolescents Instead of purchasing programs to enhance self-esteem, principals should focus on helping students develop their strengths in a supportive environment.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT in SPECIAL EDUCATION Roles and Responsibilities of the Special Education Teacher AASEP s Staff Development Course Roles and Responsibilities of the Special Education Teacher Copyright

Staying on Target ACT Research and Policy The Importance of Monitoring Student Progress toward Research Brief 74% Percentage of ACT-tested 11 high school graduates took a core curriculum in high school

research update Newark Public Schools, NJ U.S. Department of Education s Striving Readers Program Economically Disadvantaged Students in Newark Public Schools Improve Reading Achievement After Using READ

Chapter 5: Analysis of The National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88) Introduction The National Educational Longitudinal Survey (NELS:88) followed students from 8 th grade in 1988 to 10 th grade in

Special Education Program Descriptions 2014-2015 Stillwater Central School District 1068 Hudson Avenue Stillwater, New York 12180 Introduction This document provides descriptions of the special education

Special Education Audit: Organizational, Program, and Service Delivery Review Yonkers Public Schools A Report of the External Core Team July 2008 The Collaborative Founded in 1994 Sponsored by the Education

Executive Summary: Learning at De Anza Community College De Anza Community College has longstanding experience in delivering online classes, which provides a unique opportunity to study the greatest strengths

Birmingham Public Schools Systems Review of District Special Education Programs and Services Final Report Conducted by Oakland Schools at the Request Of Birmingham Public Schools September, 2011 1 A systems

U.S. Department of Education NCES 2011-462 AMERICA S High School Graduates results of the 2009 naep high school transcript study What is the High School Transcript Study? The High School Transcript Study

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN STUDENTS EDUCATION DURING MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL Sophia Catsambis and Janet E. Garland Queens College and CUNY Graduate Center Report No. 18 December 1997 Published by the

SUMMARY OF PERFORMANCE (SOP) Instructions Purpose: The Summary of Performance (SOP) is required under the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. The language as stated

NEW YORK STATE TEACHER CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS TEST DESIGN AND FRAMEWORK September 2014 Authorized for Distribution by the New York State Education Department This test design and framework document

46 The Vermont Connection 2010 Volume 31 First-Generation College Students: How Co-Curricular Involvement Can Assist with Success Valerie Garcia First-generation college students are students whose parents

APPLYING FOR ACCOMMODATIONS AT RIVER PARISHES COMMUNITY COLLEGE The Office of Counseling Services at River Parishes Community College (RPCC) coordinates accommodations and services for students with disabilities.

VCU 1 DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND DISABILITY POLICY Colleen Thoma, Ph.D. Professor and chair The mission of the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy is to prepare skilled, effective

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Regarding the Proposal to Phase Out Secondary Learning Centers 1. What is the current proposal regarding secondary learning centers? Rising Grade 6 students currently attending

Helping Children Get Started Right: The Benefits of Early Childhood Intervention By Craig Ramey R amey s Abecedarian Project compared infants from low-income families who were randomly assigned to a high-quality

Time With Children: Is More Always Better? Rukmalie Jayakody Department of Human Development and Family Studies Pennsylvania State University INTRODUCTION Family environments are expected to differentially

7. CATEGORIES and DEFINITIONS of EXCEPTIONALITIES Purpose of the standard To provide the ministry with details of the categories and definitions of exceptionalities available to the public, including parents

AMERICAN REGISTRY OF RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGISTS REQUEST FOR TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS (Complete this form ONLY if you have a documented disability or require comfort aids) If you require testing accommodations

Acknowledgements and notes on the data This report was prepared by HealthSearch Ltd for the Office for Disability Issues. The opinions, findings, recommendations and conclusions expressed in this report

AT GREATER RISK California Foster Youth and the Path from High School to College Independent of such risk factors as having a disability, California youth in foster care are less likely than other students

NECC Northern Essex Community College NECC College Math Tutoring Center Results Spring 2011 The College Math Tutoring Center at Northern Essex Community College opened its doors to students in the Spring

ARLINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Introduction The Arlington Public Schools provides a comprehensive array of programs and services from pre-school through grades 12 designed